noticed because he’s standing in the direct sunlight streaming in through the windows of the gym. Johnny must not have gotten him all that good last night in his chaotic state.
“I still want what I wanted before,” I say. “All of us. A family.”
Johnny’s jaw clenches at that. “I don’t share. I have no qualms about competing with them. Three dicks against one. I’m confident in my abilities. I’m sure I’ll be able to measure up.”
God. If he brings up the five-orgasm thing again, they’re definitely going to be on the floor fighting. “Can we just train?” I plead. “Everyone knows everything now. We don’t have to dissect it all right this second.”
Well, no. Fuck, they don’t. I shoot Mag, Oscar, and Brawler a glare, hopefully telling them that obviously Johnny doesn’t know shit about the fact that I want to kill his father. That’s just another hurdle we’ll have to tumble through. At the end of all this, he might not even want to fight for me. He’ll probably curse the day I walked into his life.
Just fuck me. One step forward and two steps back.
Before I let my thoughts spiral, I yell out loud enough for Finn and Jax to hear, “I’m ready!”
Finn waltzes out of the back room at once. He was probably eavesdropping on all of us. Not that the guys were trying to be quiet when they were fighting. I move to the bench, and Finn follows me there to wrap my hands in royal purple wrap. “That was interesting,” he murmurs, peeking up at the other guys in the room.
The others have dispersed, keeping their distance from one another…and me. “The scary gang guy looks like he’s going to murder everyone but you.”
“It’s been an interesting twelve hours or so,” I sigh.
“Let me guess,” he says. He waits until I meet his gaze before saying, “They all want you.” I shrug because I’m coy like that, and I don’t know how much anyone else should know. “Girl,” Finn says, laughing with his best gossipy girl voice on. “I see the way they all look at you.”
I smile. I’ve never had a really good friend-friend. I started out having friends here, but then they turned into more. “Have I mentioned before that I like you?”
“Are you trying to get me killed, Princess? Fuck. Whisper that shit.”
I burst out laughing, and every single person in the room with a cock glares over at us.
He turns back to me with wide eyes. “Okay, I was joking, but now I’m fucking serious. Look like you’re not having any fun.” He finishes my right hand and starts on my left. He doesn’t talk again until the glares leave us. “Jax and I will always be here for you.”
I scoff at that. “Jax doesn’t even like me.”
Finn laughs, but he doesn’t deny it. “Don’t feel bad. Jax doesn’t like anybody. He doesn’t even like me most of the time and I’m his flesh and blood.”
I sense there’s a story there, but it’s not Finn’s to tell. It’s Jax’s. No matter how much of a distraction a good story could be, I can’t really afford to be derailed right now.
The door rings overhead, and Finn looks up. “Who’s this? Number five?”
I turn to find Jiko Cardinale striding into the gym like he owns the place. “No, that’s Rocket’s friend from Chicago.”
Finn smirks. “Jax is going to have an aneurysm with all the gang guys we have in here. This could be fun.” Without giving me a chance to respond, he stands. “Ready, Princess? We have to figure out a way to kick the ass of...one of your boyfriends?” He shakes his head. “You’re in a world of shit, girl. I don’t envy you at all.”
“Same,” I say, standing after him and heading toward the ring. “I’m not going to take it easy today. I think I have some aggression to get out.”
Seeing us get up, Jax walks toward the ring from the opposite side. “I got her.”
Like before, Brawler holds back as Jax and Finn get into the ring with me. I wish he would just come up here. He already wants to throw the fight, and it’s not happening. Fighting is his future. Regardless of the fact that we’re fighting one another in a few days, he still needs training for every fight after that. He’s going places in the fight world as long as we can get the fuck out of the Heights unscathed.